2019–20 Sydney Thunder WBBL season
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The 2019–20 Sydney Thunder Women's season was the fifth in the team's history. Coached by Trevor Griffin and captained by Rachael Haynes, Sydney placed sixth in WBBL|05 and failed to qualify for finals. Ending with the retirement of veterans Alex Blackwell and Rene Farrell,[1][2] the season marked a changing of the guard for the Thunder through the unearthing of acclaimed young talent such as Hannah Darlington and Phoebe Litchfield.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
| 2019–20 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Coach | Trevor Griffin | ||
| Captain(s) | Rachael Haynes | ||
| Home ground | Drummoyne Oval | ||
| League | WBBL | ||
| Record | 5–8 (6th) | ||
| Finals | DNQ | ||
| Leading Run Scorer | Alex Blackwell – 317 | ||
| Leading Wicket Taker | Hannah Darlington – 16 | ||
| Player of the Season | Hannah Darlington | ||
| |||
Squad
Each 2019–20 squad featured 15 active players, with an allowance of up to five marquee signings including a maximum of three from overseas. Australian marquees are players who held a national women's team contract at the time of signing for their WBBL|05 team.[9]
Personnel changes made ahead of the season included:
- Trevor Griffin was appointed to the role of head coach, replacing Joanne Broadbent.[10]
- Rachael Haynes assumed the captaincy, taking over from Alex Blackwell.[11]
- Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson and Belinda Vakarewa all departed the Thunder, joining the Hobart Hurricanes.[12][13][14]
- After four seasons as an overseas marquee, Stafanie Taylor departed the Thunder and subsequently signed with the Adelaide Strikers.[15]
- India marquee Harmanpreet Kaur did not return for WBBL|05 due to a conflicting national team schedule.[16]
- Nida Dar filled the team's second overseas marquee position, making her the first Pakistani woman to sign a deal with an international cricket league.[17]
- South Africa marquee Shabnim Ismail, returning to the competition for the first time since a short inaugural season stint with the Melbourne Renegades, filled the Thunder's final overseas player slot.[18]
Changes made during the season included:
- On 1 November, Penrith batter Samantha Arnold was added to the squad as a local replacement player for an injured Kate Peterson (concussion).[19]
- On 26 November, Olivia Porter was added to the squad as a local replacement player for Nida Dar who missed the end of the season due to national team commitments.[20]
The table below lists the Thunder players and their key stats (including runs scored, batting strike rate, wickets taken, economy rate, catches and stumpings) for the season.[21][22][23][24]
| No. | Name | Nat. | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | G | R | SR | W | E | C | S | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||||||||||||
| Samantha Arnold |  |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Local replacement player | ||
| 2 | Alex Blackwell | |
31 August 1983 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 13 | 317 | 108.56 | – | – | 2 | – | |
| 15 | Rachael Haynes | |
26 December 1986 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | 12 | 166 | 85.56 | – | – | 2 | – | Captain, Australian marquee |
| 36 | Phoebe Litchfield | |
18 April 2003 | Left-handed | – | 11 | 187 | 96.89 | – | – | 3 | – | |
| 10 | Naomi Stalenberg | |
18 April 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 10 | 200 | 111.11 | – | – | 4 | – | |
| All-rounders | |||||||||||||
| 23 | Saskia Horley | |
23 February 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 4 | 27 | 108.00 | 0 | 10.00 | 0 | – | |
| 33 | Kate Peterson | |
Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| 14 | Olivia Porter | |
14 November 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Local replacement player |
| 8 | Rachel Trenaman | |
18 April 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | 2 | 21 | 190.90 | 0 | 13.33 | 0 | – | |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||||||||||
| 3 | Rachel Priest |  |
13 July 1985 | Right-handed | – | 13 | 296 | 124.36 | – | – | 5 | 8 | Overseas marquee |
| 21 | Tahlia Wilson | |
21 October 1999 | Right-handed | – | 5 | 94 | 87.03 | – | – | 1 | – | |
| Bowlers | |||||||||||||
| 34 | Samantha Bates | |
7 August 1992 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox | 13 | 5 | 71.42 | 15 | 7.05 | 4 | – | |
| 4 | Nida Dar |  |
2 January 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | 11 | 99 | 89.18 | 13 | 6.87 | 2 | – | Overseas marquee |
| 25 | Hannah Darlington | |
25 January 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 13 | 81 | 105.19 | 16 | 6.82 | 3 | – | |
| 88 | Rene Farrell | |
13 January 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 12 | 77 | 126.22 | 11 | 7.27 | 2 | – | |
| 54 | Lisa Griffith | |
28 August 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium fast | 11 | 36 | 102.85 | 2 | 9.26 | 2 | – | |
| 89 | Shabnim Ismail |  |
5 October 1988 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | 13 | 4 | 44.44 | 10 | 5.88 | 5 | – | Overseas marquee |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane Heat (C) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.723 |
| 2 | Adelaide Strikers (RU) | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0.601 |
| 3 | Perth Scorchers | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0.026 |
| 4 | Melbourne Renegades | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0.117 |
| 5 | Sydney Sixers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | −0.076 |
| 6 | Sydney Thunder | 14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 | −0.487 |
| 7 | Hobart Hurricanes | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 9 | −0.197 |
| 8 | Melbourne Stars | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | −0.734 |
Source: [25]
- The four top ranked teams qualified for the play-off phase.
Fixtures
All times are local time
Sydney Sixers 6/192 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 9/143 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Sixers won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Brisbane Heat 9/150 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 3/153 (18.5 overs) |
- Brisbane Heat won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
- Phoebe Litchfield became the youngest player to score a half-century in the WBBL[27]
Sydney Thunder 8/132 (20 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Renegades 8/129 (20 overs) |
- Melbourne Renegades won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Melbourne Stars 5/141 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 6/142 (19.4 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Hobart Hurricanes 6/148 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 4/149 (18.1 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Perth Scorchers 5/151 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 6/144 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Perth Scorchers 6/116 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 105 (19.4 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Sydney Sixers 3/152 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 8/112 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Brisbane Heat 8/128 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 96 (19.1 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
Sydney Thunder 4/112 (20 overs) |
v |
Adelaide Strikers 4/113 (19.1 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to bat
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Adelaide Strikers 6/161 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 6/161 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
- Adelaide Strikers qualified for finals
Sydney Thunder 6/162 (20 overs) |
v |
Melbourne Stars 5/144 (20 overs) |
- Melbourne Stars won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Cricket Network
Melbourne Renegades 6/151 (20 overs) |
v |
Sydney Thunder 7/122 (20 overs) |
- Sydney Thunder won the toss and elected to field
- Broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Cricket
- Melbourne Renegades qualified for finals, Sydney Sixers eliminated from finals contention
- Former Australian players Alex Blackwell and Rene Farrell made their last WBBL appearances[1][2]
Statistics and awards
- Most runs: Alex Blackwell – 317 (17th in the league)[33]
- Highest score in an innings: Alex Blackwell – 65 (47) vs Melbourne Stars, 27 November[34]
- Most wickets: Hannah Darlington – 16 (equal 8th in the league)[35]
- Best bowling figures in an innings: Shabnim Ismail – 3/14 (4 overs) vs Melbourne Renegades, 26 October[36]
- Most catches (fielder): Shabnim Ismail – 5 (equal 14th in the league)[37]
- Player of the Match awards:
- Alex Blackwell – 2
- Shabnim Ismail, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachel Priest – 1 each
- Alex Blackwell Medal:[a] Hannah Darlington[3]
- WBBL|05 Young Gun Award: Hannah Darlington (winner), Phoebe Litchfield (nominated), Tahlia Wilson (nominated)[4]
